jahnyc

I am finding this situation with Peters to be incredibly bizarre. 1. How many holdouts of star players over the last number of years proceeded without any statements from the player to the press during the holdout? Usually, the player and the agent want to get out there and tell the world how the player is underpaid and the best player at his position (i.e., make the case). 2. Peters has been a player for the Bills for a number of years. Why is Dockery the only player communicating with him? Is he communicating with other players? It would seem very odd for a young veteran to cut himself off from the entire team. I understand that he does not make his offseason home in Buffalo, but I would be shocked if he did not have a number of friends on the team that he would stay in touch with. 3. Why does it seem that the Bills have no information about the health of Peters following offseason surgery? Who performed the surgery on his sports hernia? Was the team doctor involved? If the best player on the team had offseason surgery, shouldn't the team send the team doctor or a trainer to the player's home to see how he is recovering if the player does not report to any of the offseason activities and does not live in Buffalo? How can the physical condition of Peters be a mystery at this point in time? I am among the worried that when he does report that he will not be in shape or that he will get injured when he does play. 4. An inexperienced COO (Russ Brandon) does not help in this situation (nor does having a 90 year old owner). I am sure Brandon wants to prove that he is not a pushover. I would guess that RW can be stubborn and difficult when pushed in this manner. Is there a possibility that this guy does not want to be a Bill? Is he angry at the team for some reason (other than money)? What is going on here?

Regarding, Peters, it is impossible to make any real judgments about the o-line or the playcalling tonight since it is preaseason (and the first preseason game). To me, the bottom line is that Peters in the line-up makes for a stronger o-line. He is a very good player and clearly better than anyone else who would replace him.

By the way, I thougt Fletcher looked great tonight. He is a very solid football player (and does not seem to have lost a step).

1. The Bills will have a very dangerous return game with multiple weapons/options in McKelvin, Parrish and McGee. 2. Overall, I thought Poz looked good. Seemed a bit rusty and out of position at times, but he had some nice hits. 3. Edward is a second year QB and he looked like one tonight. Impossible to make any judgments after the first preseason game, but Edwards is the most critical piece of the offensive puzzle. If he does not improve from last year, the Bills will not be above .500 this year. I really hope that he will prove that he is the "guy" this year. 4. Although Schonert received a lot of positive press and he has called plays before, it will be interesting to see if he is an improvement in his first year as OC over the last guy. I understand that it is only preseason, but the playcalling tonight seemed similar in terms of plays and mix as last year. 5. I agree that Youboty is being showcased for a trade. 6. Our second and third teamers played pretty well. I think there is a lot of young talent on the Bills roster. 7. Now, the most obvious point of all: the Bills need Peters in camp. Is he 100% after his surgery? Kind of shocking that the Bills do not seem to know his medical status (unless I missed something). He needs to be in camp to work on timing and coordination with the o-line. I always worry that guys who report late tend to get injured later.

I have wondered if Jordy Nelson was the guy the Bills were trying to move up to draft in the second round. Always had a feeling (without any information) that the Bills were interested in him.

I think Robert Felton, an undrafted free agent pick-up from University of Arkansas, will make the opening day roster and eventually get some playing time at guard. Arkansas had an excellent rushing attack last year and he gets some of the credit for that. For what it is worth, many of the pre-draft publications had him going in the fourth or fifth round.

1. McKelvin reminds me of the Winfield pick some years ago. Not great ball skills, but strong in every other area, including hitting. I wonder how McKelvin compares to Clements and Winfield in terms of grades prior to being drafted. 2. Kind of surprised the Bills took Hardy. Hardy may not be a character risk, but the Bills really seem to place great importance on character and intelligence, particularly in recent years. I sometimes forget that not all of the Bills of the past were angels (i.e., Bruce Smith, Kelly and Talley, among others). I thought the Bills would take Sweed over Hardy, since Sweed seems like the kind of guy the Bills would like. 3. Will Hardy start opposite Evans? It kind of scares me to think that if Hardy is not ready, Josh Reed may be in the starting line-up. He did not work out well opposite Moulds as the starter, and I assume that nothing has changed in that regard. 4. Mike Maycock on The NFL Network is the best draft analyst. His mock draft selections were very accurate and he seems to have a dialogue with the teams and their coaches and scouts. Overall, I thought the NFL Network's coverage was superior to that of ESPN. 5. It seems that Berman no longer is in touch with the Buffalo cab driver. Too bad. 6. I think we got short changed on the coverage of our picks on both networks (ESPN and The NFL Network). In the first round, they focused on and discussed the Patriots' pick instead of discussing the Bills. 7. There are many needs that still need to be addressed. I think DE is one of those needs. Kelsay and Denney are both coming off of significant injuries and Hargrove has been suspended.

A couple of nights before draft weekend, I met Chris Berman and Mort at Sparks steakhouse in New York City. I asked Berman who the Bills were going to take, and he told me that he was hearing that the Bills really liked David Harris, LB--Michigan (Mort agreed). I predicted on this board that the Bills were going to take Harris as a result of that conversation, and then Kiper later that day listed Harris as the pick in his mock draft. Kind of interesting since the Bills could have selected Harris in the second round.

You guys are harsh. Mike Williams was in a pick-up truck accident. See link below (sorry not sure how to provide direct link) to ESPN article dated November 17, 2003. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=16...&type=story

I thought that was Mike Williams.

I also agree, paricularly if he is considered by the scouts for the Bills to be a better overall prospect than any of the cbs or wrs available when the Bills draft at #11 in the first round.

I think the Bills will draft a cb in the first round (hearing the collective groans as I type this). The Bills are already talking about getting some competition for Greer. Thomas was waived and Webster was not re-signed. We need a third corner, particurarly since Youboty does not seem to have the confidence of the coaching staff (plus third corners play a lot). The draft seems fairly deep at wr and some are suggesting that there is not a wr who has the value associated with the #11 overall pick. CB first round, wr second round. Sorry.

Pure speculation on my part, but I have a feeling that one of the complexities that Marv was referring to during his press conference is that Turner prefers the Titans over the Bills.

Some thoughts below: 1. The draft. Bills will take a linebacker, and I think it will be either the Poz or Beason. Marv loved Shane Conlan (and that particular pick) and believes that PSU produces great linebackers. Marv may not be sentimental, but he values the lessons of history. The Poz is a strong leader and has intangibles. I think the linebacker position is the biggest hole on the roster going into the draft. I also have a feeling that the Bills will end up with Leonard (Rutgers) at fullback. 2. Our record this year (and next year). It may not be great this year, the schedule looks kind of tough to me. You never know whether teams will be as good as projected, but I would not be surprised with another 7 and 9 season. Too many young players that will need to start and play well (including draft picks in this year's draft). The good news is that if we have a strong draft this year, I think the Bills will be well positioned for a strong year in 2008. I understand that none of our projected starters will be free agents after 2007. Since we have overhauled the roster, there is not much more to do in terms of overpaid veterans or underperforming players (or players with bad attitudes). The Bills are young and will be exciting, and I think 2008 could be a great year if JP continues to develop. 3. Trades/Players released. I can't really disagree with any of Marv's moves on an individual basis. McGahee wanted a new deal and would have left and Spikes may not return to form. The problem is all of the moves being done at the same time. There are many holes and only some will able to be addressed in the draft. This may lead to problems this year, but there should be dividends next year since our young players will continue to get valuable playing experience.

Since when did Clements have character issues? I can see trading Spikes or not re-signing Fletcher this year, but both? Ellison may have potential, but he is unproven. Crowell in the middle? Not sure, particularly after coming off a broken leg that ended his season last year. Who is the third starting lb, and where is the depth? Just because rookies get playing time does not mean that they will develop into quality players.

The Bills have traded or allowed to exit via free agency the following players: Clements, Fletcher, McGahee, Spikes and Holcomb. I understand that some of these players were free agents, but if you add up the 2006 compensation for these players and compare it to the 2007 compensation (assuming the bonuses are amortized, which they are not) of the three players brought it in (and Kelsay), it is close to a wash. We had a lot of cap room to find replacements, but the problem is cash to cap. The Bills are counting a significant chunk of the the bonus money to be paid to the free agents signed or re-signed this year in the 2007 cap. As a result, we have the worst of both worlds, you allow some quality players to depart, and the free agents that the Bills sign count an inordinate amount against the cap for the 2007 season, which does not allow the the Bills the ability to sign players to replace the departing players. It is a system that penalizes the Bills for signing free agents. Another effect of cash to cap is that the Bills will be very far under next year's cap as well. While I see the rationale behind some of these moves, a team cannot improve if they do not find replacements for the quality players that leave. The draft will offer the opportunity to develop depth and hopefully at least one starter, but it will be very difficult to replicate last year's draft.

Figured out how to edit and fixed my original message.

My thoughts in the last paragraph. Is there a way to fix the original message in a thread? I don't think he said anything about Nate.

Sorry, cannot do a linky, but Czarnecki of FoxSports points out how some NFL teams are wondering how the Bills could go out and sign Dockery and Walker to deals in excess of $70 million while complaining about small market status and the need for big market teams to share their profits. I had a feeling that this would happen. For what it is worth, Czarnecki also notes that many NFL teams would have only paid Walker the veteran minimum base salary (and certainly not the $10 million in guarantees that the Bills gave him). My thoughts (not those of Czarnecki): I like the Dockery signing and the strategy the Bills used to get him. Steinbach is very good, but not a power run blocker. Plus, he seemed interested in Cleveland. Dielman wanted to stay in San Diego and Davis is overrated (and now overpaid). The Bills targeted the best run blocking guard that was available and a possibility for the Bills.

I have a feeling we are done in free agency, but who knows. The guaranteed money given Kelsay, Dockery and Walker should have exhausted amounts available this year under the cash to cap restrictions. Interesting that there has been nothing on planned visits for June (at least from what I have seen).

Yes, it seemed clear that the Bills were not going to bring Fletcher back, particularly with some of the comments from Marv and others. I assume there is a plan, and if not through free agency, the Bills will address in the draft. They must believe that there are LBs in the draft that can contribute immediately. Our defense is going to be very young.

Are the Bills done with free agency? If so, big needs remain for the draft: 1. LB--even if Crowell moves inside, need a to find a starting LB in the draft. I would guess that the Bills draft at least two LBs in the draft. 2. FB--do we have one on the roster? I guess they could use one of the TEs as an h-back, but does Fairchild's offense require a true FB? 3. CB--still need a cb, maybe a starting cb. Draft in the first or second round? 4. RB--if McGahee is gone, may need to use the first pick on Lynch. 5. DT--I thought Okoye was going to be our pick, but not now since we may need to find starters for LB, CB and RB. The Fletcher deal seemed fairly reasonable. Maybe should have re-signed Fletcher and not signed Walker? Thoughts?

According to the Bills' website (sorry no linky). He is a RT. I feel much better now. The Raiders had a superb offensive line last year.

1. Way too much turmoil with this team (two years in a row). Owner saying the team will eventually need to leave, cash to cap, TKO and McGahee. We need stability if we want to attract free agents and fans. 2. The TKO thing makes some sense because his production does not match his compensation. Having said that, assuming the Bills lose Fletcher, our linebacking corp, once a strength, will be decimated. The Bills will not be able to trade TKO. 3. All the talk from the Bills about wanting to sign their own players is very annoying since they are about to lose Clements and Fletcher. There are no players at those positions in free agency or in the draft who would play as well or better for the Bills next year. In addition, Clements and Fletcher seem to fit the type of player that the Bills want. Clements has been very professional and Fletcher is a strong leader with character. I thought that these were the types of qualities the Bills were looking for in their players. 4. I don't really care, but why did the Bills sign Whittle? I thought Marv was looking for quality and not quantity. Does he count towards the four or so players that will be signed in free agency? I would have thought Butler, Merz, Preston and Pennington would have been enough depth, assuming the Bills really target the o-line in free agency. I hope that the o-line finally will be addressed. It will be very disappointing if all of the holes that have been created recently cause the team to devote resouces to other than improving the o-line. 5. It will be very upsetting to watch teams like San Fran and Cleveland use their cap space while the Bills sit on the sidelines. With the second or third most available cap space, it is crazy not to use it on free agents or on their own players (extensions, etc.).

I do as well.